Penglai, Land of Fairy Tales

Optical illusion

While visiting Penglai, I met a family from Hangzhou. When I asked them why they had come, the mother said: "For the mirage, of course."

Because Penglai sits on the southern tip of the Bohai Straits, the low temperature of the sea water and the high temperature along the coast result in the appearance of spectacular optical illusions.

Usually they occur during summer and autumn, especially after it rains and when it is overcast and misty.

Cultural treasures

Penglai Pavilion is a place to which men of letters have flocked over the centuries. They left behind them inscriptions on tablets.

Among these is an engraved essay entitled "Notes on Reading Wu Daozi's Painting," by the poet Su Shi during the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

The inscription of the essay entitled "Watching the Mirage on the Tower on a Summer's Day" is by Dong Qichang, a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) calligrapher.

This ancient heritage adds a tint of history and culture to the mountains and sea.

"Penglai people are proud to meet so many famous poets and calligraphers here, who have brought cultural wealth to the area," Dai said.

The "Hai Bu Yang Bo" (Placid Seawater) board was written by Lu Qiguang, a Qing calligrapher. During the Sino-Japanese war in 1895, the word bu was struck by a cannonball that failed to explode.

"The sea churned and wars began," Dai explained. "If the bomb had exploded, we would not have the Penglai Pavilion today."

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